The Philadelphia Flyers will start their 2011-2012 season in Boston against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins on the night their Stanley Cup Banner is unveiled at 7:00 pm EST at TD Garden.

Ironically in the same place their 2010-2011 brief playoff run ended in a sweep, only managing two goals for, while surrendering ten in games three and four in Boston. This is not just any ordinary opening night.

The Flyers will have to watch the Bruins organization unveil their 2010-2011 Stanley Cup Banner right before their eyes. There may be a bright side to the Flyers team being witness to that, as it could add extra motivation and set the tone for the season.

Since the trade of Mike Richards, it has largely been assumed that Claude Giroux’s job next season is going to be to fill the void left by the former captain. In order to accurately assess this statement one needs to analyze both players and look deeper than just the normal statistical categories of goals, assists, and points. By analyzing the context of each players scoring last season it will become more clear as to whether or not it will be up to Giroux to replace Richards.

With anonymous messages about the partying scene in the Philadelphia Flyers’ locker room last year, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were back in the spotlight again on Monday. Philadelphia Daily News writer Dan Gross wrote a gossip column that once again brought the focus of the offseason back to a couple of the NHL’s biggest trades this season. Although the story certainly made some fans around the league raise an eyebrow or two, the idea that partying was the main reason why the two forwards were traded is ridiculous.

Conveniently enough, the storyline of Carter and Richards living it up in the nightlife of Philadelphia is a long and well-kno...

The Philadelphia Flyers forever changed the face of their franchise on June 23rd by trading away the two cornerstones of their post-lockout organization, captain Mike Richards and leading goal scorer Jeff Carter. In the process of trading away the two young veterans, the organization opened up a spot for a more prospective future to emerge. Headlined by Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, the new group brings with it a refreshing sense of excitement about the possibilities of the future. Packaged with that excitement is an undeniable anxiety about the amount of points going out the door with Carter and Richards. Now that Ville Leino has also left the team, it has become ...